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Here's the current "what is Liminal Nation?" copy that we have running on the board. I might revisit it at some point when I've got more time on my hands, but this is the version we are running with at the moment.
What is Liminal Nation?
LIMINAL NATION is a discussion forum created to promote a visible and intelligent discourse around the theory and practice of magic, spirituality and experiential religion.
It has a clear editorial policy on the material that it publishes and the level of critical engagement it expects from contributors. This can be easily summarised in three points:
1. An approach to the discussion of magic that is rooted in one's own direct personal experience and/or a reasonable level of academic rigour.
2. A collective investment in interrogating one's practice and one's beliefs about that practice through peer discussion.
3. A zero tolerance policy on hate speech, racism, sexism, genderism, etc.
Liminal Nation welcomes committed theorists and practitioners of all races, genders, sexualities, cultures, spiritualities and magical traditions. It has been designed as a space where a constructive and mutually beneficial dialogue may take place between interested parties from radically different backgrounds and understandings. Contributors to Liminal Nation are expected to be mindful and sensitive towards matters of cultural integrity and cultural appropriation, whilst maintaining a global rather than a parochial perspective on the world's magical traditions. It is a space where the academic can swap notes with the practitioner, and where parties as varied as hermetic magicians, Voodoo Mambos, Indian tantrikas, left-hand path sorcerers, Christian mystics, Thelemites, psychedelicists and witches can come together and potentially learn something from one another. Liminal Nation hopes to encourage a healthy cross-fertilisation of ideas and to create a productive melting pot of influences, where our planet's diversity of magical traditions may be respected for their individual integrity, whilst being recognised as a single global body of knowledge of relevance and importance to our species as a whole.
Liminal Nation welcomes contributors of all levels of experience. It is a place for "beginners" as much as it is a place for "experts", as these two terms can be somewhat relative. No matter what level of experience we may be at - we are all still students. More important than "time served under the hat" is a demonstrable understanding of the culture and ideals of the board and a commitment to promoting constructive and intelligent debate on magic and related subjects.
Liminal Nation is committed to providing a supportive environment where both beginners and the more experienced can get solid peer-to-peer advice from other practitioners from a variety of backgrounds. The forum is comprised of a diversity of voices and perspectives, and you may encounter conflicting and contradictory opinion from its contributors, but the ethic of the board - enshrined in its editorial policy - is to help you keep your practice sane, healthy, responsible, and geared towards improving your life and making you happier and healthier as a result of your investigation into magic.
Contributors to Liminal Nation are expected to generate high quality content and engage with other contributors respectfully and as peers. Heated and passionate debate is the lifeblood of any discussion forum, but any material which significantly transgresses the editorial policy of the board stated above may lead to moderator action. It requires a degree of maintenance from all involved to create a space where we can collectively begin to grasp towards an understanding of the role and function of magic in 21st century society, discuss the various issues that arise out of that proposition, and support one another in the theory and practice of this field of activity.
The role of the magician or shaman has always been to explore the weirder edges of consciousness and to return back with something of value to the community and its survival needs. As a platform for promoting intelligent dialogue about magic and spirituality, Liminal Nation hopes to position itself as an iteration of this same process. |
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